Thursday, November 4, 1999 Published at 01:29 GMTUKOne in 40 drivers 'without licence'The AA says most unlicensed drivers "tend to be male and younger"As many as 800,000 unlicensed drivers are on the road and the "frightening" number is likely to rise, according to a study.

Motorists' organisation the Automobile Association (AA) says offenders include drivers who have been disqualified, those holding only provisional licences and those who have never had a licence at all.

The numbers could be swelled by those too ashamed to admit to family and
friends that they failed their driving test, the AA said.

It said the complexity of the new two-part driving test was adding to the problem.

The organisations's head of road safety Andrew Howard said: "Many people see the theory element of the driving test as a
halfway house and fail to bother with the practical.

Some are ashamed of failing the test

"Equally, failure to pass the test could lead to such shame that learners
simply drive without sitting it again and maintain the myth to family and
friends that they have passed."

Most unlicensed drivers tend to be male and younger drivers, said the AA.

It called for harsh penalties against people driving without a licence.

"Anyone who drives without a licence should be regarded quite simply as a
'motoring outlaw'," said Mr Howard.

"While the vast majority of motorists bear the burden of tax,
insurance, MoT tests and driving licences, there exists a frighteningly large
core of motorists who steadfastly refuse to do so."

The unlicensed figure of about one in 40 of drivers was arrived at after a
six-month study prepared for the AA Foundation for Road Safety Research.